


Simply Charming

by Lunar_Light873



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Everybody loves Eiji, Fluff, Love Charm AU, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 14:30:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18470863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunar_Light873/pseuds/Lunar_Light873
Summary: There was no way that this stupid charm actually worked. He refused to believe that this piece of paper could have made people find him attractive.What was meant as a joke between sibling has turned Eiji's life on it's head. Now, he has to deal with a people stopping him in the streets, a kid who doesn't understand his own feeling, and the moral dilemma of actively using the charm.Love Charm AU





	Simply Charming

Eiji held the red charm up to his face. The gold lettering glittered as the light reflected off of it. The characters, _en-musubi,_ were written in bold strokes that took up most the space on the charm. It was a pretty thing, would have looked nice hanging off the fake plant that Ibe had placed by the front door of their apartment. Any visitors they’d have would find it cute, just another trinket they brought over from Japan to make them feel more at home. They wouldn’t know what it was for. But, Eiji knows. So, does Ibe. And, that’s enough to keep Eiji from displaying it anywhere. 

Kanako, Eiji’s younger sister, gave it to him before he boarded his plane. She presented it to him with the same dramatic fashion as a “miracle” healer would to an audience member at his show. To cure him from his singleness, she had said. Their parents got a good laugh out of it. Eiji just pouted and tucked the charm into his pocket, where he had quickly forgotten about it until he tossed his jacket onto his bed in New York and it fluttered onto the floor. 

While he didn’t have an issue with keeping it, aside from making him feel a bit silly, he certainly didn’t want Ibe-san seeing it. The man would have a field day. Poor Ei-chan is so lonely. He’s has to pray to the gods to save him from living life as a bachelor. Why don’t you let dear old Ibe find you a date? Eiji would never hear the end of it!

No, he cannot let Ibe find it. 

He could shove it in the back of one of the drawers, but the apartment was pretty low of storage space. The odds of Ibe still finding it was far too high for Eiji’s liking. He needed to hide it somewhere Ibe wouldn’t ever think to look, a place that Eiji knew for a fact was secure. 

Eiji fished for his wallet out of the carryon he had yet to unpack. He flipped it open, and slid the charm behind his ID. There, now Eiji will never have to hear Ibe mourning over his lack of a love life. And, not a moment too soon because the man was knocking on Eiji’s door, making Eiji snap his wallet shut in surprise.

“Are you done unpacking, Ei-chan? I was wondering if you would like to go to the cafe around the corner if you aren’t too tired. I’ve been told they got a nice selection of tea.” Ibe-san said through the closed door. 

“Uh, yes!” Eiji replied, “I’ll go with you.” He tucked his wallet into his pocket, and followed his mentor out of the apartment. 

 

***

 

The streets of New York reminded Eiji a lot of his trips to Tokyo with his high school pole vaulting. It was just as crowded and just as loud. Yet, it couldn’t have been more different. In Japan, people tended to walk with quiet awareness, not wanting to intrude on another’s personal space. Here, it wasn’t like that at all. Everyone commanded their own space, and might as well have large signs saying, _I fucking dare you to try and bother me._ It honestly kinda of intimidated Eiji a little. And, the differences don’t stop there either. 

The amount of languages spoken in here was astonishing. He had only walked about maybe a hundred meters, and he was sure he had heard more languages there than he had in his entire life living in his hometown of Izumo. It was like a little bit of the entire world was condensed into a few city blocks. 

He was in awe of the buildings that surrounded him. Most of them had these certain detailing that only could have been made during the late 1800s, early 1900s, and have appeared have aged well judge by the state of the bricks and their color. At the base of many of them were an array of shops and small restaurants. Eiji peered at the signs of the windows, trying to commit whatever the stores had to offer to memory for later.     

Ibe nudged Eiji before pointing him towards yet another brick building with two large windows. Inside each window across the bottom was a row of potted red flowers, and etched along to top words like coffee, tea, and pastries all written in white. Small tables, each with only two chairs, were placed out in a small patio area within a low metal gate. A few of the tables were full with people taking the opportunity to enjoy the sun and the cool air. 

The two men walked up to the door, Eiji passing glances at the pastries that other customers were eating. Ibe held open the door for Eiji, the smell of coffee and sweets washing over them both as they entered. The small cafe was, in a word, open. The ceiling was high with low-hanging lights, and steal beams were exposed. The tables were scattered and were not pushed too closely together.  It was mostly lit by natural light from the two large window. Looking from the inside, the row of flowers hide the space between the floor and the window, and created the illusion of the patio being over a hedge rather than separated by a window. Eiji followed Ibe up to the corner, and was greeted by the barista.

“What can I get for you?” She asked, politely. While Ibe asked about their tea, Eiji looked over the menu that was written in chalk. He eyed the drawing of one of their drinks. Around it was the words _monthly special, The Lacey Latte._ There wasn’t any indiction on what was in it. It was a strange name for a drink, Eiji thought. It looked pretty, though. He then heard Ibe ask him what he had wanted.

“Oh,uh, I’ll have the special, please!” He said, hurriedly. The barista gave him a soft smile.

“Alright, your order will be ready in a minute.” As Ibe paid, Eiji could help but notice that the barista kept sneaking glances at him. Eiji looked down at himself, thinking surely he had a weird stain somewhere, but found none. He looked at her confused, and their eyes meet for a moment. Her’s went wide then she stuttered as she hailed for the next in line to step forward. Eiji decided to just shrug it off. 

“You didn’t want to try the tea?” Ibe asked as they sat at one of the tables.

“I panicked.” Ibe shook his head and chuckled. He began to over the detail of the work they’ll be doing during their stay.  

Eiji’s mentor was assigned to do a number of think pieces for a popular magazine in Japan. Most of the topics revolved around American culture, so he had to stay in America for the foreseeable future. Ibe was given option to hire an assistant to work with him, and he had a fair number of applicants lined up. In the end, he chose to take Eiji. Why? Eiji wasn’t sure. Well, yes,  he did want to become a photographer, but he certainly didn’t have much experience. Perhaps, Ibe just had a soft spot for him since they had known each other for a few years now, and Ibe had taken on a more uncle-type role in Eiji’s life.

Soon, their drinks arrived at their table. Ibe blew into his steaming mug before taking a sip. By the satisfied look on his face, Eiji figured Ibe was right about the tea. He looked at his own drink. It less coffee and more of a milkshake if you asked him. The glass that it was served in was tall and cold to the touch. It had been drizzled in chocolate and caramel, and was topped in a massive mound of whipped cream and bits of crushed cookies. Eiji could almost feel his teeth aching, but did he care? No.

“Drinking that makes you look even younger.” Ibe said, fondly. Eiji just smiled as a large chocolate chip cookie was set down in front of him. 

“Um, I didn’t order this.” He told the same barista from earlier as she tried to leave. Avoiding looking directly at Eiji, her cheeks became bright red. 

“It’s on the house.” With that she scurried off, leaving Eiji to stared after her. Ibe laughed at the confused look on his face.

“Well, would you look at that? First day and you already got people swooning.” 

“What? No, that’s not— I mean, I don’t—!” 

“Oh, what’s that on your napkin, then?”

Eiji looked down at the table, and there it was. Laying next to the cookie was a series of numbers and a name, Selina, scribbled onto the napkin. Eiji felt flushed. He doesn’t say anything else before returning to his drink. 

 

***

 

The next morning, Eiji woke up bright and early. He still had a few days before he would have to start working the following Monday. So, he decided to familiarize himself with the area. The streets weren’t nearly as crowded as they were yesterday, but he chalked in up to being far too early for most people to be up on a weekend. Eiji found himself enjoying the relative peacefulness of it. Many of the shops hadn’t opened yet, so left Eiji little to do besides eat breakfast and pick up some groceries. Thank God that there was a market within walking distance. 

Eiji lingered in the produce section, picking up a variety of vegetables for dinner. He also collected a few spices and a bag of rice. Walked around a bit more, seeing what other things they sold and what else he may want. Turning into the snack aisle, he figured that he might as well get something to munch later. He scanned the shelves, taking in all the brightly colored packages before he spotted a familiar bag of chips. On the top shelve. Great. 

He set his basket down with an annoyed sigh. He leaned up against the shelves, and reached up as far as he could while attempting to pull himself up with the shelf below it. He almost had it! He can feel the tips of his fingers brush up against it when a hand appeared out of nowhere and plucked the bag off the shelf. 

“Hey!” He turned around, only to find the man closer much closer then he realized. He yelped in surprise and lose his grip on the shelf. He would have fallen flat on his ass if the man hadn’t helped steady him. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He said in a somewhat embarrassed tone, “You looked like you needed help.” He handed the bag out to Eiji. Eiji studied him for a second before taking them. The man was tall, had about two inches on Eiji. His hair was a shaggy, golden brown, and his eyes were a deep brown.  

“Thank you.” Eiji said, quietly. He picked up his basket and turned to walk. He didn’t count on the man following him.

“My name’s Jared, but everyone calls me J.J.” Eiji face him a sideways glances. 

“I’m Eiji.”

“You from here?”

“I just moved here from Japan.” J.J. nodded.

“Cool, cool,”

They walked up to the registers, and Eiji began to put his items on the belt. He noticed that the man only had about a handful of items, and offered him to step a head of him in line. 

“No, it’s alright. I can wait until you’re done.” 

“Please, I insist.” Eiji stepped back to make room for him. The man just shook his head. Eiji nodded and set the rest of his things on the belt. As he waited to be ringed up, he could see the man biting him lip and looking nervous. Eiji didn’t think much of it. 

“Um, I was wondering if I could give you a tour of the city. I know a lot of great places that most tourists miss.” Upon seeing the wary look in Eiji’s eyes, he quickly added, “Its fine if you don’t want to! No pressure or anything!” Eiji watch as the man ran his hand though his hair and shaking his head.  

“I’m sorry, but I already made plans to go sightseeing with my mentor. I appreciated the offer, though.” The man visibly deflated, but nodded. Eiji handed the cashier the money, and gather his bags. Just as he was about to exit the building, he heard the man call out to him. Eiji turned back to him. JJ had a look of hopeful on his face.

“I guess I’ll see you around, Eiji?”  Eiji smiled and nodded.

“If the fates allow it.” 

 

***

 

It was later in the day when he and Ibe decided to go to one of the major clothing store that they had seen the day prior. It wasn’t like they needed anything in particular, but Ibe insisted that Eiji get a couple of new shirts. Apparently, his favorite shirts with mascots was “too ridiculous” according to Ibe. Eiji had wanted to look around the store so he didn’t argue with him.

The store was massive, spanning across almost the whole block and a three floors high. It was so big that there was a directory stationed in front of the entrance! Ibe went to look at the more business casual section, and he let Eiji wonder around on his own. Eiji found the more causal mens’ section, and browsed the racks. He debated whether or not he should get a butch of graphic t-shirts with those strange pictures of cats in space. That’ll teach Ibe to insult Eiji’s style. 

Soon, Eiji had about a handful of shirts he wanted to buy, and was looking at the rack of jackets. They mostly some kind of faux leather, and were light weight. They were still way more expensive than what Eiji was willing to spend on one, but they were still nice. Eiji slipped one of them one, just for the hell of it. 

He ran his eyes over himself in a nearby mirror, liking what he saw. The body of jacket was somewhere between a really dark gray and black, and made with canvas. The sleeves were a darker leather, and detailing was minimal. It seemed to fit his body like it was tailored for him. Plus, he can move comfortably in it! It’s a shame he’ll have to leave it for now. 

Suddenly, a wolf whistle came from behind him, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. Whirling around towards the sound, Eiji was met with the smirk. The man was well-dressed, and his dark hair was slightly tousled. He stood tall with his chest puffed out, both hands in the pockets. He ran his eyes up and down Eiji, making him stiffen under its weight. 

“That looks perfect on you.” He said, stepping closer.

“Uh, thank you?” 

“I’m Reed, by the way. You’ll be needing it later.” He held out his hand to shake, but Eiji didn’t take it. Instead, he blinked at him in confusion.

“I’m sorry, what?” Reed laughed.

“Never mind, what’s you name?” Eiji stood there for a moment, unsure. He hesitated but gave him his name. Reed nodded approvingly. “A pretty name for a pretty guy.”

“A-huh.” Eiji shrugged off the jacket, and placed it back on the rack. “Well, I have to go, so if you’ll excuse me.” Eiji tried to move passed Reed, but he didn’t step aside.

“You’re not going to take the jacket?”

“Not today.”  

“Shame. I’d love to see you in it more often.” Read said with a pout.

“Right, Uh, excuse me.” Eiji tried to squeeze passed him again, and again Reed didn’t move. 

“What the hurry? I’m sure you can stay and chat a little longer.”

“Sorry, I really need to go.” Reed frowned and made a _tsk_ sound. He glanced back at the racks, and the smirk returned.

“How about you let me get that jacket for you?” Eiji looked up at him with wide eyes.

“No,no,no! Its fine, I can come back for it later!” He said, shaking his head vehemently.

“It’s no problem for me to get you something nice.”

“No, really, its fine. Please don’t spend your money on me.”  

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, you can pay me back later.” Reed leaned in closer to Eiji. Eiji could almost feel the heat radiating off of him. It made him squirm. “You could wear it on our date.”

“I-I’m sorry, what date?” 

“I know this place that has a great bar. Come have some drinks with me.” Eiji pressed him lips into a tight line. He glanced over Reed’s shoulder, silently praying for Ibe to save him but unfortunately they were alone. 

“I’m not interested.” Eiji said in a firm tone. Reed’s eyes narrowed.

“Come on, just one date is all I’m asking.” 

“No.” Eiji finally pushed passed him, just wanting to get away from the situation. However, Reed snatched his arm which Eiji immediately yanked from his grip. “Don’t touch me!”

Reed held up his hands in defense. He looked at Eiji in amusement as he said, “No need to be so mad about it. I just thought we could get to know each other.”

“I said I’m not interested. Leave me alone.” Eiji turned his back on Reed, fully intending to that being the end of it. But, Reed wasn’t going to let him walk away so easily. He rounded Eiji, blocking him yet again, and this time was careful not to touch him.

“How do you know if you’re not willing to give us a shot? I can guarantee you’ll have a great time.” Eiji was getting close to smacking the shit-eating grin off his. 

“I don’t want to go anywhere with you.” Before Reed even got a chance to respond, Eiji heard his saving grace calling from behind Reed.

“Ei-chan, are you ready to go?” While Reed was distracted, Eiji took the opportunity to slip passed him. He jogged over to Ibe, and tugged him towards the direction of the registers. 

“Yes, I’m ready. Let’s go.” 

“You didn’t find anything?” Just then Eiji realized he had left the shirts he was carrying back near the jackets. But, he sure as hall wasn’t going back to get them. 

“Not really.”  

 

***

The rest of the day had passed by uneventfully, thank God. After the encounter with Reed, Eiji tried not to stray too far from Ibe while they were out and about. If Ibe noticed him acting strange, he didn’t say anything. Still, Eiji couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. 

He became hyper aware of the fact that eyes were following him. It made him nervous, and he couldn’t really ignore it. He had looked over his shoulder many times to find someone (or many) watching him. They’d usually floundered when they realized they were caught staring, and would try to play it off as they were looking at something else. Thankfully, no one approached him.

When Ibe and Eiji settled in their apartment for the night, Eiji flopped face-first on to his bed. He felt drained, and just wanted to sleep. For, like, a year. Was it going to be like this during his entire stay? This wasn’t what he agreed to when he accepted Ibe offer.  

Eiji groaned into his pillow, and began to tug his shirt off. He had pajamas, but he was most defiantly not going to get back up. He shimmied out of his pants and tossed them to the side when he heard the thud of his wallet hitting the floor. Suddenly, it dawned on him. 

He reached down and pulled the wallet from his pocket. He took out the charm from its place behind his ID. He stared at it in an irritant befuddlement. There was just no way…

There was no way that this stupid charm actually worked. 

Eiji frowned. He refused to believe that this piece of paper could have made people find him attractive. Even entertaining the idea was absurd. But, with all the strange things that happened today, how else could he explain it?

He heard it crinkle under the tight grip he had on it. He should just get rid of it. It’s already causing problems for him, and he’d rather stay single for the rest of his life than have to deal with hoard of creeps staring at his everywhere he goes. But, then again, could he really get rid of it?

Even he can’t deny that it is kind of flattering to have so many people find you attractive. Vain? Yes, and a little sketchy if he really thought about it. Forcing people to like him wasn’t something he would have ever considered (mostly because this kinda of thing was only existed in fiction before), but now that he has it, it’s very temping to just use it.

No, this was teetering too close on the edge of drugging a person, and Eiji would never stoop so low as to take advantage of someone. He needed to get rid of it. But, how was he going to do that? If all the supernatural movies and folktales served him correctly, if he didn’t dispose of it properly he would create an even bigger problem. And, it’s not like he can google it. If he threw it away, whose to say that someone else won’t find it? What if that person also figures out its power? What if that person didn’t care about others and did as they pleased? Eiji could not have that on his conscience.

He’ll have to keep it. 

Eiji felt an uneasiness settle in his stomach at the thought, but he didn’t really have much of a choice. At least he knew that he can trust himself not to harm anyone, and it’s not like he came to America specially looking for a relationship anyway. 

He’ll still need to keep it from Ibe, though. This a very important job for him, and Eiji would hate to add unnecessary stress. He can handle being flirted with. Maybe. Maybe he should get a bottle of pepper spray just in case.

Eiji put the charm back in his wallet, and tossed it onto his night stand. Exhaustion fell back onto him as he flipped off the lights. He really needed to sleep.

 

***

 

Eiji regretted every decision he has ever made in his life. He shouldn’t have taken the charm from Konako. He should have set that stupid charm on fire, consequences be damned. It’s been a few months since he gotten it, and he can honestly say that he has never been more serious about becoming a celibate then he was now.

Nearly everyday, Eiji would get stopped by someone. They felt the need to bother him at the worst of time. Like, when the cashier at a book store spent more time trying to flirt with him rather then ring up his items. Or, that one time some woman talked his ear off while he was ordering at a food truck. Or, that time he almost miss the metro because someone wasn’t letting him leave any already too-long conversation about their impressive resume. 

He keeps getting catcalled in the streets, he feels like someone is always standing too close on the metro, and he has to tell people constantly not to write their numbers on his arm. Why do people still even do that? Just write it down like a normal adult would, so he can throw it away later and not spend the next day and a half scrubbing sharpie off his skin.

Some days, he wants to lock himself in his room, and not have to deal with anyone. But, he came to America to kick start a career, and he’ll be damned if he was going to let some horny bustards get in the way of that!

At least, it wasn’t all bad. Some people he met were actually really sweet. For instance, Selina, who had long since gave up on Eiji, still sneaks him an extra pump or two of chocolate in his drinks. He hoped she wouldn’t get in trouble for that. There was also that older divorcee, Mr. Johnson, who lived down the hall of their building who offered to make dinner for Eiji when he worked late. He mentioned a few times that Eiji reminded him of his estranged son, so Eiji often couldn’t find the heart decline. 

The charm was most defiantly making life a lot harder then it needed to be, and Eiji could really use a drink. 

And, that’s what Eiji was currently looking for. It had been a long day at work, and all Eiji wanted was to have a beer and watch some crime drama, which is a problem when America has an age limit set at twenty-one, and Eiji who is nineteen couldn’t buy a case, which is complete and utter bullshit. Ibe usually kept the fridge stocked with a case of beer, and he let Eiji take as any as he wanted. But, there had been an uptick in the amount he had been drinking, and they had run out a few days ago. Ibe might be suspecting his was developing a drinking problem. And, he might be. Only a little. 

Eiji kept his head down as he dragged his feet back to his apartment. While he hated being so rude, he refused to acknowledge anyone who tried to get his attention. The weight of the stress made his head feel like lead, and he could barely focus on what’s a head of him. He was so out of it he didn’t hear the loud banging of aluminum trash cans being knocked over. The only thing he knew was that one second he was walking, and the next he was on the ground. 

An intense pain spouted from his head. He groaned as he reached for it, fully expecting to see blood. Thankfully, there wasn’t. His side ached, but his clothes saved him from skinning. There was a large weight laying on top of him. It shifted and it slowly move away, but it was still nearby. He heard the muffled sound of someone speaking. His mind was foggy. For a few moments, he couldn’t understand what they were saying. Soon, the fog began to clear and the world started to make sense again. 

“I’m so sorry, man. I really didn’t mean to run into you like that!” They said, “How’s your head? Can you hear me alright?”

“Yeah, I can hear you.” Eiji said in a pained voice. 

“Thank God, I thought I lost you there for a second. Do you think you can sit up?” Eiji nodded as best he could, and then he felt a hand slip under his head to cradle it as the man help him sit properly. 

Once Eiji was up and the man pulled away, he finally got a good look at him. He was young, about the same age as Eiji if not younger. His hair was a brilliant purple, styled into a messing mohawk or maybe it was like that because he was running. His left eyebrow was pieced, and his sunglasses sat low on the bridge of his nose. The man stood up and he held out his hand. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Shorter.” His smile was friendly, in a way that could put people at ease.

“I’m Eiji.” Eiji took Shorter’s hand, and he was pulled up onto his feet. He swayed a bit, but Shorter offered his other arm for Eiji to hold on to. 

“Are you sure you're okay?” 

“Yes, thank you for your concern.” Eiji smiled at him as he regained his balance. 

“I’m really sorry. Is there anyway for me to make it up to you?” 

“No, it’s alright. It was an accident.” 

“You could have been hurt real badly. Please, let me make it up to you.” Eiji fell stiff. As nice as Shorter was, the last thing Eiji wanted to do was to be roped into a date. So, when Shorter presented him with two coupons, he was ready with a rejection on his tongue.

“I’m not really interested-“

“Oh, no, it’s not like that.” Shorter laughed. Eiji felt the heat rise in his face. He had never wanted to be _that_ person, but here he was. The universe hated him. 

“O-oh.”

“My family owns a restaurant in Chinatown. I can get you a free meal. You can even bring a friend with you want.” Shorter pressed the coupons onto Eiji’s hand. “It’s called Chang Dai. We’re open from eleven to nine, Monday thru Saturday. I’ll let my sister know to look out for you.” 

  Eiji looked at Shorter, not sure what to say. He was still a little wary of all this, but with Shorter’s smiling like that he couldn’t say no. Instead, he smiled back at him, and as he pocketed the coupons he said, “Okay, I’ll try to go sometime.” Shorter beamed.  

“Awesome! Maybe if you’re lucky you can meet some of my friends. They’re really fun to be around, and I have a feeling they’ll love you!” Eiji was sure they would. 

Eiji and Shorter parted ways with the promise of seeing each other soon. Eiji watched as Shorter disappeared around the counter, hand in his pocket and on the coupons. Had it be another person, he may have been tempted to just throw them away, but for some reason he didn’t want to. A warm feeling rose in his chest. Perhaps, he’s finally made a friend. And, who knows? This could be a nice change of pace for him. 

Eiji smiled to himself and walked back to his apartment. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so happy to finally have this story up. I've been dying to share it since it's conception. This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but as i continued to work on it the more complex it became.  
> I plan on posting monthly, so to get some sneak peeks follow me on Tumblr @wordsmith-for-hire or Twitter @lunarlight_873.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you come back for the next chapter!


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